Squaddies answered a Teesside charity's call for help and lent a hand to send vital aid to Romania.

Sergeant Gary Hill, who served in Iraq last year, helped Rod Jones of Aid to Romania load up a wagon of aid for under privileged children.

Sgt Hill said: "My wife Ella read about Rod's appeal for volunteers in the Gazette and logged on to the website.

"We met him and I arranged for some of the lads from 38 Engineers Regiment in Ripon and my 15-year-old son Jonathan to help."

For Sgt Hill, originally from Portrack, such work is all too familiar.

"I have served in Bosnia and Kosovo and we did a lot of this kind of stuff - making sure aid gets to the people who need it.

"But that was our job. We got a salary for it. This is different. It's nice to give something back. Many children in these places like Iraq, Bosnia and Kosovo have nothing, they beg for food and water - the things we take for granted."

Sgt Hill said he will offer his help to Rod, from Stockton, again.

Rod, 57, who has arranged hundreds of aid trips to Romania, said the response for volunteers to help load the lorry was "brilliant".

"Just a couple of days ago we had hardly anyone," he said. "And now look. There must be nearly 50 people. My faith in humanity has really been boosted today."

The soldiers were joined by other local people eager to brave the cold and wet weather to lend a hand.

"It's brilliant," said Rod. We have even been loaned a brand new forklift truck for seven months."

The lorry will leave as soon as medical aid, beds and 3,000 shoe boxes of gifts have been loaded.

"It is vital that we load it evenly," said Rod: "The driver tells me the weather is very bad there with ice and snow. We have to make sure it will have a good grip on the mountain roads."